Zona de Azar Brazil – CPI Requests the Indictment of Bruno Tolentino, William Rogatto and Thiago Chambó
Brazil.- 20th March 2025 www.zonadeazar.com The CPI for the Manipulation of Sports Games and Bets (CPIMJAE) approved on Wednesday (19) the report of Senator Romário (PL-RJ) with the request to prosecute Bruno Tolentino for match fixing. He is the uncle of Lucas Paquetá, a former Flamengo player who played for the Brazilian national team and currently plays in English football. The senator from Rio de Janeiro also called for the indictment of businessmen William Pereira Rogatto and Thiago Chambó Andrade. The CPI decided not to indict businessman Bruno López due to an agreement reached with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“We worked with all the possible and necessary bodies to get us to where we are with this report. Of course, we can’t please everyone. My relationship with Senator Girão [Novo-CE] is absolutely unchanged. I still have the same affection and respect for him,” said Romário, referring to the only senator who voted against the report.
According to Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ), one of the results of the CPI was the arrest of William Rogatto in the United Arab Emirates.
“He has been in prison in Dubai for four months because he confessed to this CPI and has an arrest warrant from the Federal District Court for manipulation. And it was from this process that the red alert arose that led to his arrest.
The presentation of the report brings to an end the activities of the CPI, which began in March 2024 and was due to end in October, but had its term extended twice. Girão asked for the commission’s work to continue for another ten days, but the CPI’s president, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), clarified that the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, had requested its conclusion.
Report
Romário said in the report that the IPC had shown that practically all recent competition manipulation scandals were related to betting on isolated events, especially cases involving well-known athletes.
He added that one-off bets make it easier for bookmakers and criminal groups to manipulate matches without necessarily affecting the result of the game. The document therefore calls for restrictions on this activity and recommends that sports organizations inform athletes about current legislation and possible sanctions.
Proposed legislation
The final report proposes a constitutional amendment (CA) and three bills to curb match-fixing. The CA obliges any citizen to attend IPCs, including the use of police force. The proposal was put forward after the Second Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided that influencer Deolane Bezerra did not need to testify at the CPIMJAE.
The first of the three proposed bills increases the penalty for the crime of fraud at a sporting event from four to ten years in prison and a fine. The bill also criminalizes fraud in the betting market and punishes unrealistic promises and athletes who disclose privileged information to gain an unfair advantage.
All documentation produced by the IPC will be shared with the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue the investigations. The information will also be sent to other institutions, such as the Casa Civil and the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Sport and Health, for the adoption of specific measures.
Source: Agência Senado
Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com